Last week our oldest daughter Sara and I visited the Kleine Fabriek, the children’s fashion and lifestyle trade fair here in Amsterdam, where we met our lovely Polish shop member Noga Ravin. I’ve always loved the look of Noga’s ‘Doggy Bags‘, but it was nice to discover her original and innovative range of products in person.

Her newest invention are these shadow puppets, made out of thick felt and so eminently simple. Sara and I were immediately playing with them at the fair! (And no, that’s not my hairy arm in the video above. ; ) ) There are five fun designs in six different colours, and a velcro closure ensures a fit for all sizes and ages. Cute, don’t you think? Family fun guaranteed!

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A few weeks ago I made these owl hand puppets with my kids, which was such a fun project that I thought I should share.

First, we designed the owl on paper. Then, we cut out the different shapes of felt, first the shape of the body (twice), then the details like the eyes, the ears and the wings. With blankets stitch and straight stitch we sewed the different details on to the body, and then we used the sewing machine to sew the two sides of the body together (leaving the bottom open as to create a hand puppet).

Pim, who is nearly seven years old, designed his own owl and cut out all of the different pieces of felt. He needed a bit of help with the hand stitching, although it was a good exercise and he was definitely getting the hang of it. I did the machine sewing part for him, but I would like to sit down with him soon and introduce him to machine sewing.

Sara, who is eight years old, is now skilled enough with needlework and the technicalities of her sewing machine, that except from making sure the ends of the thread were properly secured with the hand-stitching part, she could work completely independently. I loved how she discovered she could used the decorative stitch on her sewing machine to make feather details!

Ava, who is only three, chose her colours felt, and which buttons she should use for the eyes. And even though I pretty much did the rest for her, she still felt as if she had made her own owl.

It was such a fun and easy project for different ages!

xxx Esther

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We are on holiday! Yes! But I need to work the first week, which is not so fun. So my girls have been going to mini holiday ateliers which you can find all over Paris — little art classes and theatre classes that teach kids essential survival skills like making shadow puppets. Not a skill useful to have during an apocalypse but, none the less, a great skill to have if you want to design your own characters and put together your own little plays.

All you need is cardboard paper (preferably black), scissors, some tape, some skewers and some imagination. Cut out the characters and props and tape on a skewer (you might want to cut off the sharp tip). Hang up a white sheet and shine a lamp at it. You then make the shadow puppets appear between the lamp and the sheet.

Voila, a shadow show can commence. Also if you need some inspiration, do have a look at the French silhouette aninmation film, Prince and Princess.

– EmilieP.S To all those Paris dwellers out there: the atelier my daughters went to was at Attrape Nuages a brilliant little theatre school in the 11e arrondissement!

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I think it is a classic to make puppets out of socks. But it is something we have never done at home. Last weekend we finally did it and it is a nice way to spend an evening. It is a really easy DIY and very fun. I very much like changing “normal” things into toys.

Simple but fun! And great for all the free time during wintery afternons!

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We love the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. It is still one of those books my kids request at bed time, or.. even now I’ll catch my older kids reading it to the younger ones. So, you can imagine how excited they were when this puppet set arrived from AlexandAlexa last week. I have now watched about 50 re-enactments of the story, all told with the various puppets. The kids are actually becoming expert puppeteers — they set themselves up behind the sofa and tell the story using the silliest accents.

The puppet set is by The Puppet Company and the puppets are really impressive. The troll puppet is large and the details are really nice, and I like that you can either move his mouth or his arms so that he can really come to life. There are other puppets and sets too (like The Three Little Pigs) and also a puppet theatre (for if your kids get tired of using the sofa).

x Courtney

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Aren’t these bunny finger puppets just darling? Cute for your kids’ Easter basket, or just for a bit of creative springtime play. And easy to make too… even for sewing novices like myself (no sewing machine required).

Molly at The Purl Bee gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to make these little felt bunnies, including a printable pdf of the bunny template. How easy is that?

I think I’m going to give it a go. Just have to pick up some cute felt…

What is it about puppets? I feel like there isn’t a single kid out there who doesn’t love them. My boys were each given a Folkmanis hand puppet for Christmas last year and it was by far their favourite gift. In fact it was the one toy they insisted we bring with us on our trip to Australia — which means we traveled around the globe with an alligator and a shark in tow!

Anyway, I can surely vouch for the quality of the puppets and also the appeal, as my kids carried those puppets everywhere and never got bored of playing with them.

Folkmanis is an award-winning American company which has been making puppets since 1976. They now offer more than 200 different puppets, all carefully detailed to look like realistic creatures. Which means there’s a puppet for every child’s special interest, from sharks to birds to bugs…

-Courtney

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When you have a child with a particular obsession or interest, it’s funny how we as parents feed it. I have a son whom, as you know, is wild about sea creatures. It’s not the usual temporary phase (you know… one month dinosaurs, the next month trains), but one that has lasted for well over a year now. The boy is obsessed. So, of course I’ve given him every book you can possibly find about whales, fish, sharks, etc. The boy has every Schleich sea creature they make, and we continue to feed his curiosity with new and educating products.

This Whale Tales shadow puppet kit by Orange Moon Toys is the most recent addition to his sea creature collection, and it is by far one of our favorites! The kit includes six different whales, a set of movable and removable puppet sticks, and a fun fact card which gives a brief description of each whale. (more…)

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This past weekend was cold and wet, which is probably the worst weather combo ever! It made for a weekend spent mostly inside, which meant my husband and I were forced to be creative to keep our boys entertained.

Making hand puppets turned out to be a brilliant idea, because we spent about an hour immersed in our craft project, and then the boys spent the rest of the afternoon playing with their new ‘toys’. They were totally thrilled!

The puppets are easy to make, and there’s really no rhyme or reason to them so you can’t go wrong. (You can see we were inventive — that hippo looks like a cross between a walrus and a blue dog!) They can be as simple, or as detailed as you make them. All you need is some colored construction paper, a glue stick and scissors. (more…)

Have you every been to Budapest? I would love to go! I’m a little bit obsessed by old European capitals at the moment, so Budapest is right at the top of my list of places to visit. One of our lovely readers, Diane, visited Budapest recently and put together a little lists of things to do and see.

Diane and her husband John are avid travelers. They began taking their daughter (now 4.5) abroad when she was 18 months old. They now travel with two kids (their son is 2). Here is their list of things to see and places to play, eat and stay:

SEE:

Castle District – Located on the Buda side of the Danube, the Castle District is a must see for three distinct reasons. First, the trip to the Castle District is a blast for kids as it includes riding in a funicular. Once there, you will be dazzled by a wide array of buildings including the Royal Palace and the Matthias Church. But before you explore the charming streets of the District, stop and look across the Danube for the third (and, in my opinion) best reason for visiting the District – the views of Pest. You will have stunningly perfect views of Hungary’s enormous Parliament (third largest in the world), its distinct bridges and the lovely Danube itself. This is the perfect place for a family photo, if I do say so myself.

Heroes’ Square and City Park – City Park is a little like New York’s Central Park in that it has a bit of everything on its grounds including Budapest’s zoo and Szechenyi Baths. We elected not to visit the baths with two small kids but did spend an afternoon at the zoo. As it is located in the middle of town (and is one of the oldest zoos in the world), Budapest’s zoo feels intimate and the animals don’t seem so far away. After spending part of the day at the zoo, it is worth taking a stroll through City Park to visit Vajdahunyad Castle, especially if, like me, you have a child obsessed with princesses and castles. On the way out of the park, stop in (closed-to-traffic) Heroes’ Square and take in the imposing monument and statues of Hungary’s most important national leaders.

Memento Park – The final resting place for communist statues, Memento Park allows you to imagine what life was like behind the iron curtain. Although the significance of the statues will be lost on smaller kids (as it should be), they will enjoy climbing on the larger than life statues and sitting in the old Trabant car parked near the entrance. Once they are older and learn about the Soviet bloc in school, you can pull out the old photos and show them just how close they got to history. Memento Park is a bit out of the way in outer Buda but there are several easy public transportation options. Our kids enjoyed the trip out there just as much as they did the statues.

PLAY:

Mini Polisz – Located at Nyugati ter, near the train station and WestEnd City Center, Mini Polisz is the ultimate interactive and roleplaying museum for young children. The space is divided into different businesses, including a Tesco grocery store, bank, mechanic shop, hair salon and doctor’s office. Children can move from one location to the next, taking on the jobs required of each business. Among the more creative sections is a roadway where kids can practice obeying traffic rules while riding scooters and trikes. There also is a baby room for those under one and a snack counter. For a more substantial meal, head over to the WestEnd City Center mall which offers over 50 dining options.

Children’s Railway – Operated by children (under adult supervision), the Children’s Railway is a fun way to see the hills high above Budapest. The train’s route takes you past a number of sites, including Challenge Land Adventure Park, an outdoor park with several different ropes courses for visitors 4 and up. As we had a little one with us who couldn’t participate, we opted to skip Challenge Land but a lot of people recommend it!

EAT:

Verne Restaurant – Verne Restaurant is just one of a seeming endless row of restaurants located on the popular pedestrian shopping street, Vaci utca. What distinguishes Verne from other restaurants is the enormous playground located in the back of the restaurant. We had not seen a playground of that magnitude at a restaurant not called McDonald’s. It came equipped with a slide, playhouse, sandbox and plenty of shovels and buckets. Our kids did not want to leave. For the adults, the restaurant offers a varied menu including pizzas and traditional Hungarian dishes.

Pizza Eataliano – With three locations in popular tourist areas of Budapest, you are never far away from an Eataliano outpost. As the name suggests, this is the place for pizza and also pasta, all at a reasonable price (especially if you dine off of the lunch menu). The children’s menu offers several pizza and pasta options and includes dessert (ice cream or chocolate cake).

Gelarto Rosa – Rumored to be the best ice cream in Budapest and it certainly lives up to its hype. This tiny shop scoops the ice cream into the shape of a perfect rose. As a bonus, they offer dairy-free and other allergen-free flavors. This meant that my son, who is allergic to several common foods, was able to enjoy a daily treat. As the shop is small, there is generally a line out the door but it is worth the wait. Plus, the shop is just a few storefronts down from Szent Istvan ter (St. Stephen’s Square) and its beautiful Szent Istvan Bazilika (St. Stephen’s Basilica). Take your ice cream over to the (car free) square and let your kids run around while you enjoy the view of the beautiful church.

Jegbufe – Ever wonder what it must have been like to live in the Communist era? Jegbufe gives you a chance to step back in time. In business since 1952 (and apparently not renovated since them), Jegbufe is a Budapest institution serving pastries and drinks just as they did prior to the fall of the iron curtain. In addition to retaining the Soviet-era décor, Jegbufe has kept the communist system of ordering goods: first, you view the items you wish to purchase. Once you decide which you would like to buy, you get into a separate line to pay. Once payment is complete, bring your receipt back to the original counter and claim your treat. Not surprisingly, they only take cash, and it can be a bit of a challenge to use a stroller inside. No doubt just like in the communist days.

SHOP:

Játékvár – If there is one item that makes a young child uniquely Hungarian it is their possession of an affordable, plastic ride on scooter. They ride them everywhere: in the mall, on the playground, at the zoo and on any and all pedestrian-only streets and squares. Naturally, we had to buy two for our own children (and find a way to get them home, but that’s another story). We bought ours at Játékvár at the Mammut I shopping mall, located near the Millenaris cultural center. However, these ubiquitous scooters can be found in various shops throughout town. If you have plans to tour the zoo, spend time in City Park or stroll down pedestrian-only Vaci utca., you can’t go wrong by investing in a riding scooter for your children. These scooters may just be the best souvenir we have ever brought back from Europe.

Memories of Hungary – There is no shortage of souvenir shops in Hungary selling cheap bags, magnets and other tchotchkes. However, for unique souvenirs of high quality, there is one shop that should be on everyone’s list. Memories of Hungary, located down the street from Szent Istvan Bazilika (St. Stephen’s Basilica), sells a wide array of beautifully crafted items including clothing, handbags and ceramics, as well as wine and food. For little ones, they have books, stuffed animals and beautiful hand puppets. The store’s employees speak perfect English and can help you find the right souvenir for that hard-to-shop-for friend or relative.

STAY:

Apartment Rentals – We had great luck with Golden Stars Apartments which offered an array of apartments of different sizes throughout Budapest. They also arranged for an airport transfer with car seats. We elected to rent an apartment on pedestrian-only Vaci utca. Vaci utca was the ideal location for a family with small children. We were a stone’s throw away from many food options, including the kids’ favorite, McDonald’s, and the kids rode their new riding scooters to dinner each night. When my son lost his right shoe (we only brought one pair with us), we had several options for purchasing a new pair. When the kids got a little restless during the witching hour (you parents know what I mean), we took them around the corner to a perfect playground set against the backdrop of the Danube. And when it was time to head out and sightsee, we had several public transportation options available to us within a five minute walk, including trams and the metro.

For those who prefer hotels, you can’t beat the family activities available at the Four Seasons Budapest, located on the banks of the Pest side of the Danube. The hotel offers both baby- and kid-sized amenities for their littlest guests, including baby toys and child-sized robes and slippers.

– Emilie

P.S. Diane hired a local photographer to take photos of the whole family in Budapest. Such a great idea, I never have a single photo of the whole family when we go on holiday. She used Brita Photography.

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Ivy has now lost her two bottom teeth!! I think it’s really young to start losing them (she’s only 4½!), but it goes to show that no matter how hard I try to keep my babies little forever, they just insist on growing up! : )

Anyway, the tooth fairy has now come twice in the past couple weeks, each time leaving two £1 coins under her pillow. (What’s the going rate for the tooth fairy these days? I’m curious to know if £2 is normal?!) So… with £4 in her pocket, we decided to pay a little visit to Eeenymeeny to see what sort of toy she could buy herself.

The selection was so good, she had a difficult time choosing! She could buy:

A package of plastic daisies to create your own daisy chain bracelets (she needed a few extra pounds to buy this, but we were willing to chip in for the sake of how cool this was!)

She ended up with this super cool little colouring book – with 32 pages of bunnies to draw outfits and dress up! She loves it and has nearly coloured in every page! (There’s also a ‘32 ways to dress a fox‘ version too, and I’m definitely going back to buy more for little gifts.)

We don’t normally take the kids shopping with us, for fear of turning them into little consumers. But, I did think it was an interesting exercise to show Ivy what her money could buy her. I also think she really appreciated her colouring book because she knew she bought it herself and had made the tough decision to choose it over the other interesting options.

Anyway, I thought I would share in case your kids are also hoping to spend their tooth fairy money!

x Courtney

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Dundelina is a Norwegian brand with a sweet collection of ‘dresses with a story’. There are dresses with large pockets hiding little secrets, brooches that become finger puppets, reversible skirts and shirts with hide and seek layers… so fun!

My absolute favourite item in the current Dundelina collection is this Crow Dress, which I couldn’t resist getting for Ava. It is just the sweetest thing. I love the timeless grey pinstripe fabric and cute apron style design, but the bird detail on the front really makes this dress stand out. The little crow beak can be hidden inside the pocket or be revealed, and the pocket itself is perfect to hide all sorts of little secrets (or an enormous amount of conkers, as Ava can attest).

xxx Esther

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Little Puggle is a brand new website offering a monthly subscription service for craft activity boxes to be sent to your door. Each box is filled with crafty and cool activities, DIY art kits and all the necessary materials (scissors, paints, glue) for making your creations. When you sign up, you can fill out your child’s details and interests and receive boxes which tailor to your child’s interests (trains, animals, fairies, etc). I recently tested out the service and it’s fantastic — I spent an entire rainy afternoon with the kids making puppets, blowing up balloons and creating animal heads, painting, sticking, colouring, and playing.

I will say… that because I’m already quite a crafty mum (I was joking the other day with a friend that my craft cupboard is bigger than my clothes closet!), this isn’t a service which I really need. But for busy mums who don’t have the time (or interest) in sourcing craft supplies and activities for their kids, this is the perfect solution. It offers craft inspiration as well as all the materials, so it takes the hard work out of being creative with your children. You can sign up to receive the Little Puggle boxes here. (I also think they make great gifts!)

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A friend gave my daughter these fun non-toxic crayons for her third birthday. I wish I’d known about them sooner! They are wildly entertaining as you can color with them, stack them into towers, turn them upside down and pretend they are ice cream cones, and put them on little toddler hands as extra colorful finger puppets. I always carry a box around to keep Elodie occupied during those in-between moments when she is starting to get restless. Such a fantastic little gift!

-Elizabeth

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Last weekend, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the girls and I made popcorn, wrapped up in blankets and settled down to watch Fantastic Mr Fox. Have you seen it? It is turning into one of our all-time favourite movies. So many things are great: the script, the action and George Clooney’s voice! Plus, it works for kids and for adults — there are not that many movies around that my kids and I all equally enjoy, but this film works on many different levels. I read the book when I was a kid and the film captures the essence of the book perfectly. The clever fox outwitting the nasty farmer is a story that works well, especially when animated with fabulous puppets.

Coming into winter does have advantages — I would feel too guilty in the summer spending a Sunday afternoon watching a movie, but when it’s cold outside, I reckon it is completely justified!

Stockholm is SUCH a cool city. I have been only a few times, but each time I felt an urge to move there (and not many cities do that to me!). It’s beautiful, it’s trendy, it’s kid-friendly, most people speak English, and it’s always voted one of the best cities for families to live… so it must be true! I recently met up with the lovely Britt Hanson, freelance illustrator, one half of the husband-and-wife duo behind fanfamfun blog and beautiful mama of two, and she had me green with envy over her recent three-year stint in Stockholm. I asked her to write a family-friendly guide to the city, and thankfully she obliged. Here is Britt’s guide complete with her own cute illustrations…

It’s horrible. It really is an awful place to visit. Hungry polar bears have even been known to roam the streets looking for food! There, that should do it. That should keep this geographical gem off the radar of the visiting hordes.

Ok, I’ll come clean. Stockholm is one of the most beautiful (and clean) cities in the world and we absolutely love visiting. I should also mention, we’ve lived there for three years. So what’s so special about it? Isn’t it cold, dark and miserable? It’s cold and dark in the winter, but oh so beautiful. And even more beautiful in the summer.

This is a city built on fourteen islands at the mouth of a lake and the Baltic Sea. These islands continue out to the Stockholm archipelago, where you’ll find around 30,000 more islands and islets that will literally charm your socks off. So, there’s water here, there and everywhere. What else? Do acres upon acres of parks and greenery take your fancy? Not forgetting culture, fine architecture, fashionable people and cutting edge design amidst this sea of blue water and ever so green greenery. And to top all this off, it’s as child friendly as a cuddly toy polar bear.

Here are our favourite places to have some fantastic family fun.

SEE

Stockholm Waterfront Walk — Take a stroll from the edge of Södermalm where it meets Slussen. As you walk across Slussen to Gamla Stan you can see Lake Malaren on your left and the Baltic sea on your right. Walk along the waters edge around Gamla Stan (the tourist friendly old town that’s also a must see destination), towards Kungstragarden, Take in some magnificent architecture along the way, this includes The Royal Palace, The Grand Hotel and the National Museum. You’ll also come across local fishermen catching salmon. When you reach Nybrokajen (the harbour with lots of tourist tour boats), follow the arc of the dock around and meander slowly down the beautiful tree lined avenue, Strandvagen. There are many landmarks to see as you approach the bridge that goes across to the island of Djurgarden. Once on Djurgarden you’ll find lots to see and do. This really is a wonderful way to see the city.

Gamla Stan — You go back in time when you stroll around the narrow cobbled streets of Gamla Stan (Old Town). This is the original Stockholm, most of the buildings are from the 1700’s. It’s a wonderful island to stroll through and pick up some tourist gifts. You might want to bring your Babybjorn on this trip, small stroller wheels really struggle on the very old cobbled streets. Be warned, it can be very touristy, but it’s well worth a visit. And if you’re lucky enough to be here around Christmas time be sure to visit the Christmas market at Stortorget square.

Modern Museet — Get inspired at the beautiful modern museum on the island of Skeppsholmen. It has one of the world’s finest collections of 20th and 21st century art. Make sure to visit on Family Sunday, there are fun and educational tours and workshops where your little ones create art inspired by the collections they’ve just seen. When you’ve got your fill of art, take a walk around the island and see all the house boats and views to many impressive landmarks.

Fotografiska — The Photographic Museum is new to Stockholm. It’s one of the worlds largest photography museums with some of the worlds biggest names showing. The building is next to the water front and views from the cafe are worth a visit alone. So take in a few floors of photos, even if some of the photographs are a bit racy it’s a great place for kids to spend a few hours and learn about art.

Sightseeing Boat Tour — See Stockholm from a boat. It’s a wonderful way to explore this city of islands. There are many different tours you can choose from, but the Hop on Hop off is probably the best way to go. Kids love taking a boat trip! If you don’t get a chance to take a boat tour, at least take the ferry from Djurgården to Slussen.

Sergels Torg — Feel the buzz of the city at Stockholm’s central point. Sergels Torg is made up of a very large pedestrian plaza with an iconic black and white triangular pattern. The plaza is surrounded by a busy roundabout with a tall glass obelisk at its centre. Three busy streets converge and there is lots of shopping and the imposing building Kulturhuset (www.kulturhuset.se) and the Stockholm City Theatre. (more…)

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According to my friend, Marika, who is a regular visitor — Boston is an absolutely fantastic city to visit with kids because it is jam-packed with things to do for the whole family, regardless of age and interest. It’s also super easy to get around town, either on foot or by public transport. The centre of the city is tiny and most sights are within walking distance of each other.
Marika lives in London and has two daughters. She also travels more than any other friend I have! She and her family (photographed below) have just returned from another family visit to Boston and she has kindly written down a weekend guide for us. Makes me want to take the kids to Boston — there’s so much to do and it all sounds incredible.

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I love Taro Gomi’s illustrations and we’ve always enjoyed his books (My Friends, Bus Stops and Everybody Poos) so I was really interested when I discovered Taro Gomi’s Play All Day activity book. Since then, I have bought it for everyone I know — I feel like I’ve found treasure! The book is basically the BEST book in the world for a rainy day (which we are prone to over here in Blighty).

It is cram-packed with things to make and pretty much everything you need is already in the book. There are more then 100 innovative ‘punch-out’ pieces for making games, cities, landscapes, sculptures, hats, finger-puppets, picture frames and all in Gomi’s distinctive style. All the ideas are simple enough for my 4-year-old to construct with a little bit of guidance. But what I love (other then the end result actually looking good — unlike our ‘start-from-scratch’ craft ideas) is that all the ideas inspire play — we made the ring-toss game last night and once made my kids played with it for 45 minutes. It’s available from Amazon (UK and US).

Cute, this mini theatre! Especially since it features the characters of Little Red Riding Hood — my kids’ favourite fairy tale and one they know by heart (I do too). It features four adorable woollen little finger puppets and a cardboard theatre. What a wonderful little gift (and it comes flat-packed so it’s perfect to send overseas as well). One for the gift drawer!

xxx Esther

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How cute are these designs?! They’re inspired by 1950’s finger puppets… and are part of a 6-piece Marionette Card Set from Darling Clementine. Cute for children’s birthday cards or stationery. (I think I’m going to hang my set up on a wall in the kids’ room!) Darling Clementine is a new-to-me design studio or ‘paper empire’ as it says on their site. Check out all of their designs — I also love the Noel Darling Christmas cards.